Hello Everybody

Time has come to buy a new car. Have a choice of a X-type Jag, mercedes C, BMW 3 and Lexus IS200.

Never thougth of the Lexus until I saw what you get as standard for the price. The Lexus is a real contender especially as I have heard they are very reliable and value for money.

I was wondering if anyone has had the cars mentioned above and can tell me how they compare to the Lexus. Also have a choice of a IS200SE or a IS200 Sport (with Sat Nav). Also how is the manual gearbox compared to the Auto gearbox? If you all tell me the manual is better than I guess I will go for the Sport. I do a lot of Motorway driving and occasional town driving.

Also are there any good dealers anyone can recommend. i hear Lexus is quite high on customer satisfaction.

TIA

Anoop

Hello, and welcome to LOC.

Firstly, this is a Lexus forum ... so there for we will all praise the Lexus, however I have not personally owned any of those cars mentioned, though I know people who have.

The IS200 does come with a hell of a lot more standard, that's true .... but it also comes with the reliability, and status - and of course the rare ness.

The Lexus is becoming a more and more common car, however it's still not as common as the other companys you have listed above.

I personally have the IS200 SE, auto - this is because I hate changing gears all the time in london, it makes it feel more luxurious , and plus it's got the cruise control.

So i prefer the auto, for several reasons , I can only suggest that you actually go out and test drive both of them, as the manual can be quite fun, needless to say !

Hope this clears out a few things ........

Regards,

Right mate,

Jags are noisy!!! test drove the s-type 3.0 and thought it was very nice but a very noisy engine with quite loud road noise.

BMW 3 series - I have a 330Ci Auto, and i must say it is fantastic. However, the price comparisons you can obtain between the IS200SE and Sport will shock you, BMW just can't compete.

Merc - Light steering wheels which personally annoy the hell out of.

Lexus - noisy revvy engine, but sounds perfect thanks to a gorgeous straight six engine. Also, it is quiet on motorway cruising. Big power difference between auto and manual, think it is 11.2 secs and 9.5 secs respectively to 60mph. In my opinion, if ur not bothered about a nice armrest, buy manual. That way, you have all the fun, and if u so desire, buy a cruise control kit for your manual. Problem solved for motorway driving.

So yeah, go Lexus!!!

In short Jags are noisy, BMW aren't too good value for money, Mercs have a really light horrible steering..

Thanks All. I have a test drive booked this weekend, Cant wait.

Anything I should look for, look out for?

The lexus is the cheapest to insure for me out of the three. I would like SAT NAV. Should I try and go for a later car with DVD? Does this mean I can also watch DVD movies too?

Thinking of a Black/Dark Blue. Any good interior combinations you know of?

Finally the is the Sport a harder ride than the SE? because of the tyre size and lower suspension?

Cant wait

[quote name='snoopsta' date='Nov 11 2004, 01:41 PM']Thanks All. I have a test drive booked this weekend, Cant wait.

Anything I should look for, look out for?

The lexus is the cheapest to insure for me out of the three.  I would like SAT NAV. Should I try and go for a later car with DVD? Does this mean I can also watch DVD movies too?

Thinking of a Black/Dark Blue. Any good interior combinations you know of?

Finally the is the Sport a harder ride than the SE? because of the tyre size and lower suspension?

Cant wait
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Sport is a slihglty harder ride than the S and SE. For resale value, the Sport is better also. DVD based Sat Nav is a better choice. U'll find it puts about an extra £500 - £1000 pounds on the price of a used car.

U have a choice of two interiors, black or beige. With a dark car i like a light interior, and with a light car i like a dark interior. Note though, more recent dark interiors have subtle silver parts in them that older models don't have, like where your electric window buttons are etc. I personally like the contrast from dark to light.

Hope this helps. One other thing, take your wife with you!!! People find that reverse gear isn't easily selected, and a weaker person may struggle.

DVD sat nav does not mean you can watch DVD movies.

You could add a third party DVD player that uses the Sat Nav screen (either CD or DVD based system) if you wished.

Whereabouts in london are you? I've used Edgware Road and Woodford and they're both really good.

check out the dealer reviews !!

croydon has allways done a good job for me
and they seem to improve everytime i go there

What about an IS300 ?
Auto but with up + down buttons on steering wheel ...
Kind of the best of both worlds - and some proper oomph too

Thanks all for your help and advice.

Tony Goose: A IS300 would be nice but insurance is gonna cost me more and so is the fuel ;0 (Was caught speeding earlier this year. 5 points)

Made up my mind. Going to get a IS200 Sport. Last 2 questions. I promise

1) Cant make up my mind on colour. Seems to be between Silver and Black. Is one more popular for when I come to upgrade?

2) If I dont get one with Sat Nav. Can i fit an aftermarket one in the same place. or do I have to remove the unit on the centre console and fit it their. Does the genuine lexus one go up and down on the dash or is it fixed?

I have about £15k to spend. Can any one give advice on finance or leasing deals? is it better to pay a deposit (say 5k) and pay x amount for 3 years and then a ballon payment in the end? Anyone know any dealers doing really really good rate or special offers (like 0% interest )

I really cant wait to get my Lexus. Its all I can think about at work and at home


THANKS AGAIN ALL FOR YOUR HELP

1. Silver is the biggest selling car colour, full stop. A lot of people avoid black like the plague (pita to keep looking good)

2. There's a few clever souls on here that seem to have done it. I'm fitting a PDA based solution to mine (already own it so no sense spilling £3K on the option)

3. I'm in the same boat, but will only be putting down £5K and the rest on PCP. Press them for a lower interest rate as they have some Q4 deals much cheaper than the standard rate. But may only work if they need to make the numbers this month.

Mine's delivered next week, and I went through all the choices you did and finally opted for an IS200SE Manual.

Can't wait

nice one, when i got my car i went out to buy a bmw, but then went to lexus just to see what i was getting for my money, i looked, i drove, i looked again, then just got one there and then,( well 3-4 weeks for dev) never looked back, coming up for 18mths and as happy as a pig in s***.

If silver is the biggest selling car then that would also make it the most common. Stick with your original choises of blue or black mate. Dont want to start an argument but from most previous posts of potential IS200 buyers black is nearly always the desired colour. dark colours may be a bugger to clean but they dont half look good when they are.

Dark colours look good, I have a blue one myself, but if I were to buy another it would probably be silver just cos the dark colours show up scratches so easily, and as you're in London, the scratches are going to appear.....

Thank You All

Your help and adviced have been greatly appreciated.

Off to the dealers in about 5 min for a test drivr (Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee)

Shop around for prices - you have access to the internet use it. I bought my IS from Lexus Aberdeen without a testdrive & the car was 12 months old, it came with AA check & the dealer faxed over the report before I paid them. They delivered the car FOC to me as well, I did save circa £1000 over buying the IS locally from Chester.

BTW, I will only recommend the blues, they look the best & are not hard to clean - you WILL want to clean your IS anyway!

IMHO Silver does look nice on the IS but the colour is so common on the roads, it is the new Red, just have a look the next time you drive...